New Puppy Essentials Guide

New Puppy Essentials Guide. All the basics you should know and have before getting a puppy.

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Before you bring a new puppy home, I would like to tell you about a couple things you’re going to have to do and buy.

First of all, one of the most important thing is that you are ready to get a dog.

What do I mean by that?

I don’t mean you have a big house or enough money. I mean you are ready to make time, and be responsible for a dog.

A lot of dogs end up in shelters or on the streets because people “weren’t ready” or just simply didn’t have enough responsibility to take care of a dog.

A puppy is not a toy! He is going to require a lot of your time, and he will need a loving home to grow up in.

If you decide to get a dog, make sure you can make enough time to play and exercise him, feed him right, and most importantly, even if he grows up and gets old, do not throw him away.

I’m not trying to scare you or discourage you, I just want to make sure dogs get a happy life they deserve.

I also highly encourage you to adopt a dog, not buy. But if you really want to purchase a puppy instead of adopting, then at least do your research and get it from a trusted breeder. DO NOT buy from puppy farms or shady puppy stores. If you want to know why puppy farms are so bad, look it up on the internet!

Ok, now with that said, let us continue.

Here is what you will need to do and get to successfully prepare for your new puppy.

Dog-proofing your home

First, there is a very important step you have to do before bring home your puppy!

You need to make your home “dog proof”.

Sounds weird I know, but this is very important!

Puppies go through a teething period when they chew on everything they can find to soothe the discomfort they feel.

This can be very dangerous for both your puppy and you!

For example your puppy can find the extension cord (or other wires) and start chewing on it!

What do you think will happen if he chews it to pieces while it’s plugged into the outlet?!

If you don’t already have your cables hidden, you can buy a product that hides the cables.

You can find these product online or most home improvement stores.

Small Objects

An other very important thing is removing small objects! Kids that leave their toys around can pose a great danger to puppies as they might swallow smaller toys, which can get stuck in their stomach, or in their throat.

Removing a foreign object from a dog’s stomach is very expensive, and can be fatal if untreated.

If you have small kids, I recommend you keeping the puppy out of the “kid play area”.

Look around your home and remove or secure anything your puppy could reach and chew on.

Common items puppies love to chew:

• Shoes, sandals

• Remote controls

• Wires

• Carpet

• Baseboards

• Chair and table legs

• Purse, bags

• Car keys and keychains

• Your wallet…

• Plants

Basically anything they can reach!

The best way to make sure your puppy can’t reach any of them is either

• Keep an eye on your puppy at all times.

• Get a chew proof crate.

• Get a baby/pet gate.

• Keep him in a separate, puppy proofed room.

Next, trash bin!

Very important to have a trash with a lid the dog can’t open. Not everything you put in the trash is safe for dogs, but he will try to eat them anyway!

Look around your home and find EVERYTHING your puppy could reach, chew on or brake, and move it somewhere else or protect it in some way.

This step could save your dogs life!!!

Once you puppy proofed your home you need to get some basic items.

There are countless pet products out there and what you buy for your new puppy really depends on how much you want to spoil him and of course how much money you want to spend. However there are some basic items every puppy will need.

So if you don’t know what to buy to start with, I made a list of recommended basic items your puppy will need once you brought him home.

Dog Bed

First you want to make sure you have a new bed that is comfortable for your puppy.

As you may know puppies just like babies, sleep a lot. So gets some comfy bed or blanket.

Make sure you get a big enough bed so he can comfortably fit in it even as he grows.

Tip: Get a dog bed that is machine washable! Your puppy most likely will have accidents while he learns where to pee and poop, so you want to be able to wash the bed and get the stain out. The label on the bed should tell you if you can put it in the washer or not.

Dog Toys

Next he is going to need a lot of toys because puppies love to play and chew a lot, so make sure you get some toys that are chew resistant but also are not too hard.

I wouldn’t recommend buying him big hard bones just yet. Couple stuffed and rubber toys will probably do for a start.

I personally purchased a Kong toy when my beagle was a puppy, and he loved it! Not to mention it lasted for a very long time.

As mentioned above, puppies chew a LOT, and they need somethings that lasts (not easily destroyed), but also helps them feel better while in the teething stage.

I personally love this toy , because it’s not only a great chew toy, but you can also stuff it with his favorite treat or food, so he will really love playing with it for a while! This comes in handy if you need your puppy to be distracted because you need time to relax or work.

But I do recommend you getting other toys as well. Your puppy needs a lot of things to play with or he will find something on his own, like your 200$ shoe, and that’s not fun I assure you.